1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to apparatus used in forming concrete structures and, more specifically, to a bearing block that is attached to a modular concrete form to assist in aligning form components and in handling assemblies of forms.
2. Background of the Prior Art
Concrete forming apparatus is in wide use in the construction of buildings, bridges, and other concrete structures. A common system for forming concrete structures uses a plurality of modular form components that are adapted to be assembled into a wide variety of configurations to conform to virtually any architectural requirement. Such forming apparatus components are typically made of metal so that they are strong enough to support the heavy weight of poured concrete and durable so that the components can be reused many times.
One of the most commonly used configurations of such metal form components is a flat panel that is used in forming substantially flat concrete surfaces, such as walls, foundations, pillars, and the like. In current practice, the modular wall forms are assembled face down on a horizontal surface into large wall form assemblies. These assemblies must then be moved from the horizontal, assembly position into a typically vertical, working position. Most commonly, a crane is attached to the end portion of the assembly that is to be at the top when moved to its working position. The action of lifting the form assembly elevates the top end of the form assembly while the bottom end remains in contact with the horizontal surface on which it was assembled. Accordingly, there are large bending forces that are applied to the form assembly. Wall form assemblies are typically of a size that these forces are greater than what can be withstood by the connections between the modular form components. As a result, some external stiffening members, such as beams, are added to the back side of the form assembly to allow it to be picked and placed without damage to the form assembly. These stiffening members, however, are not required to support or stiffen the form assembly once it is in place and while it is being used in the formation of a poured concrete wall section. Time is spent attaching the stiffening members and additional cost is involved in the expense of stocking additional inventory of components.
While the modular form components could be made out of heavier material, for example thicker steel, so that they would resist the imposed bending forces when assembled into large form assemblies, the resulting forms would be xe2x80x9cover-engineeredxe2x80x9d for their primary function of forming concrete walls, would be more expensive to manufacture, more expensive to deliver to construction sites and require larger, more expensive equipment to transport at the construction site.
There is a need for modular concrete forming components that can be assembled into large wall form assemblies that are sufficiently strong to resist the bending forces applied during picking and placing of the wall form assemblies without the need for the attachment of additional or external stiffening members.
The invention consists of a modular concrete form component that has a bearing block secured to the form component. The form component consists of a face sheet on the back of which are arranged a plurality of spaced apart ribs and at least two spaced apart transverse stiffeners. A rearwardly extended flange extends around the perimeter of the face sheet. A bearing block is secured to the stiffeners at the intersection of the stiffeners with the perimeter flange. Assemblies of the form components include connections, such as with nut and bolt combinations, made through bearing blocks of adjacent form components. The additional strength and positioning of the bearing blocks adds sufficient stiffness to assemblies of the form components to allow them to resist bending forces imposed during picking and placing of the form assembly without unduly increasing the cost or weight of the form components.
An object of the present invention is to provide a concrete form component that includes a bearing block which provides sufficient additional stiffness in assembly with other such form components to resist bending forces during picking and placing of large assemblies of the form components without the use of additional or external stiffening members.
Another object of the invention is to provide a concrete form component that resists bending forces when assembled into large form assemblies without substantial additional weight or cost of manufacture.
These and other objects of the invention will be made apparent to those skilled in the art upon a review and understanding of this specification, the associated drawings, and the appended claims.